Crocodiles can climb straight up trees

[ladjf]

9. Once while fishing, I saw a water snake crawl into a low overhanging bush with a small fish in

his mouth. The fish was still showing signs of life, but after a few minutes, it died and the snake ate it.

Regarding the snake that climbed the tree: 1. it was definitely a cotton mouth and 2. it swam up toward the leaning tree trunk and first raised raised about 8 inches of his body out of the water moved toward the tree trunk. I was sitting close by to the side so I could see the whole process. Then after he planted the uplifted part of his body up against the bark, he just went straight up the trunk for a couple of feet and then crossed over to the topside and stopped.

On another day, at the same location, a large cotton mouth was hanging around my fish stringer so I pulled the fish up onto the bank about five feet from the water, I backed off and waited to see what the snake was going to to. He came out of the water and heading toward the fish at which point I started throwing things at him. He retreated back into the water but stayed near the edge watching me.
I threw some chunks of wood at him. He stood his ground and struck at the wood. Finally he swam off.